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theperfectlyflawed's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the story a lot, however there were some areas of this book that would have benefited from more editing.
jasmyn9's review against another edition
4.0
Twinmaker is a very high tech dystopian action adventure. Full of artificial intelligence, futuristic technology, and a way to make yourself better without any work But everything comes at a cost, including this new "Improvement" that Libby, Clair's best friend, has decided to try. This is the first step in Clair's journey into a dangerous conspiracy.
The book is full of action, it's almost non-stop, but it didn't ever quite get to the point where it was too overboard. It kept the pages turning fast and easy. The technology was introduced in a way that made it seem part of everyday life (which is was for our characters). This is the technology that Clair must take on head to head to try and save Libby.
While the strange Q wasn't the main character, she was by far my favorite. While I had figured out part of her secret early on, the author did a great job when it was time for her big reveal and made the wait to find her true story well worth it. Clair was about as dynamic as they can get. At times she seemed to be an entirely different person that what she started as.
I almost gave this book five stars. Q was just a little too into everything and came to save the day against impossible odds a little too easily at times. I would have liked to see them work a little harder for it sometimes.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-twinmaker-by-sean-williams.html#sthash.fRQowrgK.dpuf
The book is full of action, it's almost non-stop, but it didn't ever quite get to the point where it was too overboard. It kept the pages turning fast and easy. The technology was introduced in a way that made it seem part of everyday life (which is was for our characters). This is the technology that Clair must take on head to head to try and save Libby.
While the strange Q wasn't the main character, she was by far my favorite. While I had figured out part of her secret early on, the author did a great job when it was time for her big reveal and made the wait to find her true story well worth it. Clair was about as dynamic as they can get. At times she seemed to be an entirely different person that what she started as.
I almost gave this book five stars. Q was just a little too into everything and came to save the day against impossible odds a little too easily at times. I would have liked to see them work a little harder for it sometimes.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-twinmaker-by-sean-williams.html#sthash.fRQowrgK.dpuf
macchi's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be very engaging and action-packed, and the concepts it ponders over are intriguing, I just wish I'd connected with the characters more. The ideas of social influence and media, and how something like transporter (d-mat) technology might impact on society and its people was very well thought out, and I found the exploration of the ideas and resultant consequences to be excellent. Williams took his characters and plot and used them to illustrate these ideas very well.
His characters were also very human. Practical, not without flaws and mistakes (really Clair, kissing your friend's boyfriend?), but they're also able to reflect on those mistakes and feel conflicted about them, be riddled with self-doubt and uncertainty and have real consequences for those things, and that's commendable in a YA novel. However, I just didn't connect with the characters. As much as the plot and what happens left me breathless, it remained like a story I was observing from afar rather than something I was sucked into and couldn't stop reading.
It's a shame because other than that, this would've been a 5 star. As it is, I'm at a 3.5 to 4.
His characters were also very human. Practical, not without flaws and mistakes (really Clair, kissing your friend's boyfriend?), but they're also able to reflect on those mistakes and feel conflicted about them, be riddled with self-doubt and uncertainty and have real consequences for those things, and that's commendable in a YA novel. However, I just didn't connect with the characters. As much as the plot and what happens left me breathless, it remained like a story I was observing from afar rather than something I was sucked into and couldn't stop reading.
It's a shame because other than that, this would've been a 5 star. As it is, I'm at a 3.5 to 4.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I REALLY struggled with this book. I almost gave up on it several times but feel bad reviewing a DNF. Ironically, this redeemed itself a bit at the end ... I MAY even continue with the series. We shall see.
I started this in audio format. The narrator wasn't totally engaging, but wasn't bad. But ... I just could NOT connect or follow the story. I do have issues with audio at times, getting distracted and missing things. But I've listened to a lot of audio now and can generally overcome those issues. Not here. I was probably 30% of the way in and I just wasn't sure at all what was happening. I was so confused. The Kindle edition was also available from my library, so I downloaded it. Skimming over the first section of the book, the chapters I had listened to, I had a hard time even finding my place. Did this sound familiar? Had I listened to this? It just had hardly connected at all.
Reading was a little better than listening. I do tend to pay a little closer attention. If I miss something, I can re-read or flip back to refresh myself. Still I struggled ... I just didn't really care about the characters and wasn't sure WHAT the book was really about!
It starts off as a couple girls attempting to join a group called the "Crashlanders" ... in a futuristic world where there are booths that can transport people anywhere almost instantly. And while the first few chapters are dedicated to this, and introducing Clair, Libby and Zep, it then moves onto the "improvement" idea. That during these transfers, small changes could be made, improving yourself. Then it turns into a complicated conspiracy where not only can the d-mat booths make changes, they can actually duplicate people and put someone else's mind into another's body (thus the title "Twinmaker"). It was all very complicated and confusing.
There were some interesting and unexpected twists, and I liked some of the events near the end and it did leave me wondering what would happen as the book concluded. I'm not sure if it hooked me enough, as this one was such a struggle. Long too. We'll see ...
I started this in audio format. The narrator wasn't totally engaging, but wasn't bad. But ... I just could NOT connect or follow the story. I do have issues with audio at times, getting distracted and missing things. But I've listened to a lot of audio now and can generally overcome those issues. Not here. I was probably 30% of the way in and I just wasn't sure at all what was happening. I was so confused. The Kindle edition was also available from my library, so I downloaded it. Skimming over the first section of the book, the chapters I had listened to, I had a hard time even finding my place. Did this sound familiar? Had I listened to this? It just had hardly connected at all.
Reading was a little better than listening. I do tend to pay a little closer attention. If I miss something, I can re-read or flip back to refresh myself. Still I struggled ... I just didn't really care about the characters and wasn't sure WHAT the book was really about!
It starts off as a couple girls attempting to join a group called the "Crashlanders" ... in a futuristic world where there are booths that can transport people anywhere almost instantly. And while the first few chapters are dedicated to this, and introducing Clair, Libby and Zep, it then moves onto the "improvement" idea. That during these transfers, small changes could be made, improving yourself. Then it turns into a complicated conspiracy where not only can the d-mat booths make changes, they can actually duplicate people and put someone else's mind into another's body (thus the title "Twinmaker"). It was all very complicated and confusing.
There were some interesting and unexpected twists, and I liked some of the events near the end and it did leave me wondering what would happen as the book concluded. I'm not sure if it hooked me enough, as this one was such a struggle. Long too. We'll see ...
stiricide's review against another edition
2.0
It's absolutely bananas that THIS is the 500pp novel I chose to settle in with.
It's genre fiction, if your genre is vague future tech dystopia where a single teen can change the world. It's fine. Let books be fine. (Still unsure how it was 500 pages, though. It definitely wasn't 500 pages of story.)
It's genre fiction, if your genre is vague future tech dystopia where a single teen can change the world. It's fine. Let books be fine. (Still unsure how it was 500 pages, though. It definitely wasn't 500 pages of story.)
eched's review against another edition
2.0
A lot of interesting ideas in a strange, kind of dull execution.
mon_ique's review against another edition
3.0
The fact is people died. Those acts of violence lower the books rating for me, but then you get into the whole, if someone was copied by the system and they pulled up their pattern and they could live again, did they actually "die" etcetc...so all those who were gone in this book could come back in the next.
But besides those parts that were skipped through, it was awesome. Q is awesome. Q is bae. Q is the best friend Clair could ever have. I though it was so funny at the end that Q was mad at Clair for breaking her promise and disappears, and the only reason I want to scan the second one is to find out what happens to Q.
But besides those parts that were skipped through, it was awesome. Q is awesome. Q is bae. Q is the best friend Clair could ever have. I though it was so funny at the end that Q was mad at Clair for breaking her promise and disappears, and the only reason I want to scan the second one is to find out what happens to Q.
booksenvogue's review against another edition
1.0
Uggghhhh! I really tried, but no! I seriously tried twice! The characters were unlikable and the storyline completely deviated from the synopsis. I feel very deceived and disappointed.
scamp1234's review against another edition
3.0
Sean Williams has created a world not to far from now that shows possibilities and warnings of what could happen when technology advances too far. This for me felt like the recent [a:Dave Eggers|3371|Dave Eggers|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1383766677p2/3371.jpg] novel, but with a more sci fi feel to it.
A few of the characters just didn't mesh well with the story, but the premise and worldbuilding does show promise.
A few of the characters just didn't mesh well with the story, but the premise and worldbuilding does show promise.